São Paulo – Last year 4.11 million tonnes of food were grown in Brazil using public irrigation projects developed by Brazil’s São Francisco and Parnaíba Valley development corporation Codevasf. The corporation reported a 4% growth rate in crop areas, and the value of gross production (GVP) of these lands reached BRL 5.48 billion (USD 1.07 billion), with fruit farming being a highlight.
Last year say the growth of 71,800 tonnes of foods more than 2022. Codevasf reported that the increase in output was well distributed among crops and projects in general. Revenue-wise, leading crops were grapes, mango, and banana.
“Irrigation projects bring about a comprehensive regional development in the regions where they are established. They incentivize industries such as logistics, inputs, professional training, machinery, infrastructure, services, and others. Job and income opportunities often stretch beyond the irrigated areas themselves,” the corporation’s Irrigation and Operations Director Luís Napoleão Casado said.
Codevasf also highlighted the increase in the rice output of irrigated projects in Brazilian states Alagoas and Sergipe. The corporation said that both in Sergipe and Alagoas the rising rice price encouraged farmers to convert grazeland into rice farming land. Infrastructure has also been developed in the region.
Irrigation boosts fruit farming
Irrigated agriculture has been a major focus of Codevasf since its establishment in 1974. Over its 50 years, the corporation has established in the São Francisco River area the production of fruits and traditional crops such as mango, lime, guava, melon, coconut, passionfruit, watermelon, and banana. The agricultural output of these irrigated areas caters to both the domestic market and international demands.
The corporation develops 39 public irrigation projects, of which 29 are production projects established by Codevasf based in Minas Gerais, Bahia, Pernambuco, Sergipe, and Alagoas, while the other ten are developed by hydroelectric plant Chesf in Pernambuco and Bahia. Codevasf is a federal government corporation affiliated with Brazil’s Ministry of Integration and Regional Development.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
